After examining the fallout of Jinx’s (Ella Purnell) on the Topsiders in Piltover, Arcane Season 2 Act 1 Episode 2, “Watch It All Burn,” turns the focus on Zaun. And because it’s pretty much all about her anyway, Jinx’s perspective gets the market share of screen time.
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We open on what we can only assume is a dream she has of sinking into the waters under Zaun, holding Silco’s (Jason Spisak) dead body, as she fills him in (telepathically) on the goings-on of the underworld. Silco’s absence has sparked a turf war between the various chembarons and petty thugs.
Arcane, “Watch It All Burn”
Embracing Silco’s body tenderly, she recalls how he cared for her after Vander (JB Blanc) died. Still talking with Silco, she reminds him that he and Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) both bossed her around a lot. As she releases Silco to sink into the darkness below, she hears his voice in her head, asking, “Have you had enough?” Nodding, Jinx explodes with a convulsive scream.
A montage set to Marcus King’s “Sucker” illustrates how Zaun’s social power structure has disintegrated in the void left by Silco’s death. As the others battle and backstab to get ahead, Jinx slips between all the conflicts, hooded and haunted.
Isha
A small, amber-eyed child, Isha (Lucy Lowe) crawls through the pipeworks, trying to evade several thug pursuers. When she’s grabbed, she bites the hand viciously. Attempting to leap across a chasm between two rusted-through culverts high in the air, she loses her grip and falls onto Jinx, passing by underneath.
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The cyborg thugs in bowler hats join them at street level. When Jinx tips her hood back so the lead thug can see her, he takes a step back but not far or fast enough to avoid her weapon fire. She trains her gun on the kid who flinches. Jinx shares that the adrenaline rush in moments of potential fatality is the best feeling in the world. The kid looks around, noting the many Piltover Wanted posters with Jinx’s face plastered on the walls of the alley. Jinx admits it’s her. She walks off. After a moment, the kid scurries after her.
Chembarons
In a mechanical carriage car, Heenot (Mick Wingert) and Smeech (Lenny Citrano) discuss the direction of the Shimmer business. Smeech is confident he can outwit Margot (Kimberly Brooks) and Chross (Lex Lang) to take over the kingpin position vacated by Silco.
They get out of the carriage and approach the target stash location with a number of Smeech’s goons. There’s a toxic gas lingering in the air that Heenot identifies as The Grey. Smeech tries to laugh off The Grey as just factory smog trapped underground until a henchman points out an enemy guard, lying on the ground gasping. Rethinking the situation, he sends Heenot in to scout it out. Wearing a mask, Heenot heads into the lair. Bodies are strewn everywhere, dead or dying, and the space is opaque with The Grey. Something growly with three glowing points approaches and Heenot screams.
A Bird Without a Wing
In Silco’s meeting room, Sevika (Amirah Vann) addresses the heads of the factions, stating they must end their turf wars. She encourages them to unite against the Piltover Topsiders. Margot wonders why Smeech is so quiet. Smeech throws in with Sevika, pointing out the best way forward is to get the Topsiders off their backs by giving them Jinx. Sevika refuses to turn over one of their own.
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Taunting Sevika about her missing arm, Smeech offers to build her a new cybernetic limb in exchange for helping them capture Jinx. He gives her time to consider it but promises it’s his final offer.
In Silco’s old office, Sevika sets aside her bottle and attempts to repair her mechanical arm. Stabbing the table in frustration, she addresses Silco’s chair, accusing him of leaving her another mess to mop up.
Jinx addresses her from her perch in the rafters, expressing wonder that she talks to dead people. Jumping down, she deliberately turns her back on Sevika, inviting an attack while she assembles Silco’s old chem injector. They commiserate on all his failings, clearly missing him. Sevika questions what they’re supposed to do with all his plans now. Jinx grabs the broken prosthetic arm and waves it around. She answers, “Watch it all burn.”
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Jinx leaves, using the back alley door. Smeech and his goons are lying in wait and follow her. Isha, hiding in a nearby pipe, sees them.
Alive
Inside the Hexcore, a still unconscious Viktor (Harry Lloyd) hears Sky (Abigail Marlowe) calling his name. He awakens suddenly and emerges from the stasis cube, his body completely rebuilt with HexTech. His touch reshapes his crutch into a HexTech staff. Walking to the sleeping Jayce (Kevin Alejandro), he calls his name, waking him up.
Jayce embraces him, ecstatic that he’s alive. Viktor reciprocates hesitantly. When Jayce goes for a robe, Viktor comments that he feels something unpleasant but he isn’t cold. He realizes Jayce didn’t destroy the Hexcore as he’d promised. Jayce protests that the Hexcore saved Viktor. Viktor replies that it killed Sky.
Jayce tells Viktor he plans to resign from the Council and return to the lab to work with Viktor. Viktor takes his notebook and informs Jayce he must leave forever, that their paths had diverged a long time ago. Jayce gets angry, accusing Viktor of leaving him with the hard choices. Viktor bids him goodbye and leaves.
Blight
In the Firelight Headquarters, new refugees arrive. Ekko (Reed Shannon) discusses the capacity and security issues caused by the increased numbers with another organizer. He refuses to turn anyone away. In the courtyard, Heimerdinger (Mick Wingert) entertains the children with a new contraption. Leaves from the tree fall and land by Ekko. He notices a blight on them. When he brings it to Heimerdinger, who recognizes the condition.
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Together, they sneak into Heimerdinger’s old lab — now Jayce’s and until very recently Viktor’s — only to run right into Jayce. Heimerdinger makes introductions and explains to Jayce why they’re there. Jayce serves them tea and examines the leaves. He agrees with Heimerdinger, that the blight matches the corruption they saw on plants they tested with the Hexcore.
Jayce wonders how the same pattern could be deep underground at the same time as it was in their lab. Heimerdinger and Ekko look at the Hexcore’s stasis cube. Heimerdinger asks where Viktor has gone.
A New Path
In Zaun, Viktor wanders the alleys, observing the pervasive violence, pestilence, and despair. His staff catches the eye of Shimmer addicts, including Huck (Bill Lobley) digging through the trash. Viktor hears Sky calling him again. Looking down an alley, he sees glowing footprints appear on the group. He follows and the addicts trail behind him.
In her workshop, Jinx considers a puzzle and springs into action, creating something. Wrapping it up with a bow, she steps back to admire her work and smells something bad in the air. Rats scurry through the space, pursued by The Grey. Out of The Grey, figures with glowing eyes emerge and Jinx recognizes one as Vi.
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The rest of the Enforcer strike team spreads out through the space. Vi finds Jinx’s goggles on the ground and picks them up. Jinx takes aim at Vi from her hiding spot in the rafters. She’s unable to pull the trigger and a tear slips out and falls onto the goggles in Vi’s hand. Vi springs to her feet, looking up but can’t spot Jinx.
Jinx distracts the strike team by turning on one of her carnival distractions and escapes. Maddie reports that the area is clear to Caitlyn. Caitlyn’s breath quickens to a panic and she fires at one of the cut-outs. Vi comes close to her and lays a gauntlet-clad hand on her shoulder in sympathy.
Get In Close
Coughing and crying, Jinx escapes with her gift-wrapped invention. She screams as she runs down the alley and right into one of Smeech’s henchmen. He punches her in the face, knocking her to the ground and kicking her gun out of her hand when she pulls it. Another goon joins him. Jinx notices Smeech perched nearby. The goons pin her to a wall and search her for other weapons, tossing them out of reach as they find them.
Smeech gets in close, threatening to take her eyes. Jinx points out that everyone that gets close to her dies. A shot rings out from the other end of the alley and Sevika approaches, a big gun aimed at them.
Get Jinxed
Jinx takes advantage of the distraction, grabbing the gift-wrapped item and throwing it to Sevika. The wrappings come off in mid-air, revealing a Jinx-original prosthetic cybernetic arm. A fight ensues, soundtracked by “Renegade (We Never Run)” (Stefflon Don, Raja Kumari ft. Jarina De Marco). Isha helps out Jinx by throwing one of her powder grenades, pulling the attention of a goon. Jinx dispatches him and gestures at Isha with pistol fingers, reminding her of the POOW! feeling she’d talked about. Isha smiles back.
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Smeech and Sevika face off. It’s not going well for Sevika until Jinx indicates she should pull the lever on the new arm. The lever activates a slot machine triple window that randomly assigns an attack based on what comes up… and plays a musical accompaniment that Sevika rolls her eyes at. By pulling the lever repeatedly, Sevika eventually gains the upper hand. Smeech tries to negotiate but Sevika reminds him he already gave her his final offer. She hits a Jinx Jackpot on the arm which fascinates Isha and delights Jinx. Smeech is done. The arm sets off celebratory fireworks as Sevika wipes Smeech’s chem fluid off her face. While Isha examines the bodies, Sevika and Jinx talk it out. Sevika asks Jinx what she’s planning to do next. Jinx replies, “To finish what’s left of my family.”
Viktor, Champion of Zaun
The glowing footprints lead Viktor past encampments of huddled Shimmer addicts to the ruins of an Arcane gateway. In the shadows, Sky’s figure begins to manifest. Viktor realizes he’s surrounded by Shimmer addicts looking to rob him of his HexTech to feed their need. Viktor looks closely at Huck and comments, “So much senseless pain.” He approaches Huck who drops his blade. Viktor reaches out and the HexTech in his body latches onto Huck in a dramatic flash. Around them, the interaction causes metal pieces to fly through the air and a whirlwind of power swirls around them.
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When it’s all over, Viktor falls to his knees. Huck, now clean of any chem addiction and looking healthier than we’ve EVER seen him look, also sinks to the ground, his scars purified and healed to a silver sheen. Viktor tells him and all the addicts that they need not suffer anymore. One by one, they all fall to their knees. Looking up, Viktor sees a smiling Sky standing next to Huck. He smiles back at her.
Arcane Season 2: Stinger Scene 2
As eerie music plays, the camera pans through Singed’s (Brett Tucker) laboratory. With dire wolf bodies suspended in the air around him, his focus is on injecting cells with foreign matter. The camera continues to pan past him and his microscope down the table where surgical pans hold fangs, eyeballs, and finally, an enormous beating heart being infused with Shimmer chem fluid. Arcane is currently streaming on Netflix.
Arcane: League of Legends is currently streaming on Netflix.
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